Mitch Trubisky could have played out the final year of his contract and then used free agency to find a team willing to let him compete for a starting quarterback position.
Instead, he accepted a two-year extension that will keep him with the Pittsburgh Steelers through 2025.
“We got really close as a team last year,” Trubisky said Tuesday after the first day of organized team activities. “I felt like I wanted to be here the next three years. When they asked me, it was an easy decision.”
General manager Omar Khan said at the NFL Combine that he wanted to extend the contract of Trubisky, whose initial deal carried a $10.625 million cap hit that made him one of the NFL’s most expensive backups.
When Khan contacted Trubisky’s representatives about a deal that would lessen Trubisky’s cap hit, negotiations were completed in short order, the quarterback said.
“It was a pleasant surprise,” Trubisky said. “I was happy when I heard about it a couple weeks ago from my agent.”
Barring an injury to second-year starter Kenny Pickett, though, Trubisky won’t get a chance to be an NFL starter anytime soon. He lost his starting job to Pickett in the fourth week of the 2022 season and made just one start and three appearances in the final 13 games of the season.
Trubisky believes he still has a future as an NFL starter but is accepting of his job as Pickett’s backup.
“You have to compartmentalize,” he said. “I come here and know my role, but I’m also competing and trying to be the best player I can be. When you push for that and you continue to compete and push yourself to get better, things are going to work out.
“If I come here with a great attitude and work my tail off, then everything will work out the way it should. Honestly, I feel I got rewarded with an extension. Not many guys can say they’ve been around six or seven years like I have now. That’s a blessing in itself.”
